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Gratitude is “a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude people acknowledge the goodness in their lives…as a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals – whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.”
-Harvard Medical School
Thanksgiving is a special time of gratitude: vibrant fall colours, cool fresh days and nights, thoughts of family gatherings, and abundant fresh harvest. Rumi writes, ‘Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life.’
Stop for a moment and say thank you for two gifts in your life right now. Life is full of opportunities, of gifts, it happens that sometimes we have the experience but miss the meaning. This summer a group of meditators met each Thursday for prayer and community sharing. Recently we commented on the peace and harmony we are experiencing during this time together. One said, if only the whole world were praying like this how different life would be. Another commented, it feels like we know the secret for peace.
God gave us this beautiful earth out of love for our happiness. Everyone desires happiness, and happy people are grateful people. We live gratefully by becoming aware that every moment in our day is valuable, even those difficult and challenging. Those times are an invitation to transcend self in the interest of the other and live a more mature and productive life. We know by faith that this is only possible with grace. Jesus says, ‘apart from me you can do nothing’. -John 15:5
Gratitude is a heart muscle that grows through use, and Meister Eckhart says,’If the only prayer you ever say is thank you, that is enough.’
Guaranteed. Happy Thanksgiving!
-Sister Ann Marshall, csj
PART I IN A SERIES ON MEDITATION and FAITH
We are all born meditators. Recall how absorbed young children are gazing in awe at the magic of the Christmas Tree, how coffee tasted better as you sat wrapped in a spectacular sunset, how peaceful the sound of the waves rolling onto the shore made you wish for more, how time stopped as your baby gazed silently into your heart. Events like these are timeless and profound and full of peace. These experiences of wonder, joy and peace are the result of taking the attention off yourself and looking forward and beyond to the mystery of God at the core of all human existence.
Unfortunately, as we mature the pace of life blots out some of these precious memories replacing them with stress, hurry, and countless demands on a busy life. You may ask, is it possible for a busy professional, homemaker or retail employee to bring a modicum of peace to a stressful life? Unless you become like little children you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Matt. 18:3.
Having had the privilege of learning from children/students for the better part of 10 years listen to what they say:
I like to connect with Jesus because it makes me feel calm. - Kevin, 5
When I meditate it is as if I’m in another world, feeling at ease with the silence. - Lily, 13
I like Christian Meditation because it feels like peace and harmony, and it feels like a warm hug. -Maggie, 7
It gives me a sense of peace within myself and the world around me. - Chelsea, 16
I can forget everything that happened during the day. I can come back after connecting with God and feel good. -Grace, 11 *
Stay tuned as we continue this faith journey.
-Sister Ann Marshall, csj
Sister Ann Marshall works on Christian Meditation in the classroom, in partnership with teachers in the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board.
*Excerpts taken from the book, Christian Meditation Reflections by Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board Students. This book is dedicated to Sister Ann Marshall, CSJ, for her commitment to spreading the practice of Christian Meditation throughout the Hamilton-Wentworth School Board and in so doing, enriching the lives of countless students and staff by helping them to establish and nurture a genuine relationship with Christ.
A Poem for Truth and Reconciliation
Today we share a poem written by Thamer Linklater, friend and partner of the Sisters of St. Joseph.
We are the granddaughters of survivors.
We are the nieces of people who never came home.
This entire year has been excruciating for us.
Not like a punch to the stomach,
One you don't see coming,
Taking your breath all at once.
But like an avalanche.
The slow collection of snow on a mountaintop.
Until, one day, a sound sets off a cascade,
Wrecking everything in its path.
We all saw the building snow.
Our bodies knew the horrors untold.
You see, we live near the mountains.
Towns, however, that are crushed by snow,
Are shielded by walls and roads.
Existing so far away from mountaintops.
A sea of orange now floods the landscape.
T-shirts, signs, banners, handprints
Take up the space cleared by snow.
Some wear the colour to commemorate
Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins.
Some wear the colour to honour
The childhood that was stolen from them.
Some wear the colour as a sign of atonement.
Refusing to let history be buried.
Some wear the colour to blend in.
Using apologies, holidays, and shirts
To cover the gap.
Meanwhile pipelines, legal action, and police raids
Tear the rift further and further apart.
We are the granddaughters of survivors.
We are the nieces of those who never came home.
We are apart of the avalanche.
We had our hearts unburied with every child found.
Where do you fit in this story unfolding?
Thamer Linklater is a member of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and a survivor of the Child Welfare system in Manitoba. She recently graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a B.A. in English and is now working on her Master’s in Indigenous Studies at Trent University. She has worked in various teams for the Six Seasons Project. She has been involved with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak and is an active First Nations advocate. Thamer has recently started work on her collection of poems and hopes to publish them soon.
